Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Colorado Soiree

It
was another quick jaunt to Colorado while Brian and Amy slipped away to wine
country. For Sharon and me, it was time to bond, travel and connect with the
Colorado kids. Oh, and to spend an afternoon with a furry rodent of
questionable character.

A
new sheriff was in town and the grandkids couldn’t have been more thrilled. It
was six days of non-stop activities that left Nana and Papa totally exhausted
and the kiddos exhilarated. A small price to pay for building grandparent
memories with lots of experiences, events and silliness thrown in for good
measure.

The
storm of activities was slow in coming. Our first day in town was quiet since
the grand-children were in school. After that, it was our typical harried,
multi-tasked, quasi-organized rush of excitement for all of us.

The
last time we were in town, the kid’s first event of the day was a huge swim
meet that witnessed a gathering of all the aquatic tribes. This time around, we
began with a grand tour of the greater Denver Metropolitan area. Yep, the kids
are all in traveling sports teams.

Maya,
our eldest grandchild, switched from soccer to Lacrosse last year. She’s
quickly grasped the fundamentals of the game and acquired the skills to make
her a valued member of her team. So mimicking the ‘Oregon trail,’ first thing
Saturday morning we set off for the community of Littleton for Maya’s Lacrosse
game. Even that early in the morning, the sidelines were filled with semi-awake,
coffee-clutching parents yelling encouragement at their kids.

As
quickly as we arrived the game was soon over, and we had to scramble to find
our next venue. Spencer’s soccer game was in yet another distant suburb; this
time it was in Centennial.

Doesn't anyone drive a car anymore?

Finally it was cris-crossing back across the
metro to Aurora, Colorado for Samantha’s soccer game. During it all the kids
were troopers. Of course, it didn’t hurt that Nana’s rule of ‘no screen time’
was relaxed a bit so she and I could concentrate on Saturday morning traffic
and the distance of our travels.

Fields of Plenty

Dynamo on the Right

At
every game while we huddled in our camp chairs buried under thermos blankets,
the kids who weren’t playing were clustered around books and devices. Visiting
urchins came and went and no one seemed to notice the chill in the air. The
adults watched each game with intensity usually reserved for major league
sporting events.

Ever
the ‘reading hounds,’ we had to, once again, visit the newest library in town
then begin the first of several art lessons.

Nana
had the kids back working on their favorite art project; alcohol ink. Just as
Brennen and Charlotte had quickly grasped that creative process back home so
too had the Colorado kids. Collectively, all five grandchildren have now spread
their creative wings and come up with some fascinating works of art. Pastel
drawings were next on the list of paintings to explore.

After
a morning of focused painting, Nana offered up options for lunch and
entertainment. Much to my chagrin, there was a unanimous request to go to Chuck
E. Cheese. It had been many years since we took the Colorado kids there. Little
had changed since our last visit.

Ready for Action

More Tickets, Please!

It
was just as noisy, chaotic and messy. The demographics had shifted but kids are
kids. Our grandchildren had a wonderful time and that was all that mattered.

The
rest of our soiree in Colorado was a non-stop mixture of garage sales, piano
lessons, more art classes, reading, relaxing, and fooling around. There were
games every night, a special assistant breakfast cook to Nana each morning and
‘coffee with Papa;’ one kid per morning.

Another Satisfied Customer

The
days and nights were non-stop as were the grandchildren. There’s a reason why
only young people should have kids. It was exhausting and exhilarating at the
same time. Our goal has always been to give the kiddos lots of experiences,
time with their grandparents and a little advice thrown in when each grandchild
gets to go on our traditional ‘Starbucks with Papa.’

We
know that realistically there is only a limited time available before our
grandchildren ‘grow up’ and move on with their lives. It’s a limited time
capsule Sharon and I have tried to embrace and embellish and hold dear to our
hearts and theirs as well.

Where
else can a couple of old folks teach and learn so much at the same time. We are
truly blessed.